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Forum:Technology and why the West MUST Think like Aristotle . . .
In the course of my Academic Calling (B.A. in Religion from Davidson, M.Div. & Th.M. from Duke, Ph.D. studies at Notre Dame and University-level Teaching since 2004 . . .) I have come to a greater and greater appreciation of the Technical Mind. For example, here at St. Petersburg College (Pinellas County, Florida) due to Politicians, Taxpayers and Local Civic Leaders working together, SPC has grown astronomically all on the shoulders of technological advancement. To be sure, CVS the Pharmacy franchise helps fund the pharmaceutical studies department and a local Republican Congressman has helped to promote Higher Learning nationally, but the 'vehicle' that has driven such success has been technology. Here, a key epistemological decision has already been made, and made for the benefit of our own unique Christian-Jewish-secular Nation State, namely Aristotle the Ancient Greek Thinker is the choice of we technologically-driven American citizens. Whereas Aristotle's teacher, Plato, promoted a type of knowledge somewhat 'ephemeral' (Platonic Idealism as rooted in the 'Ideal Forms of Thought'), perhaps since Aristotle's father was a court physician, Aristotle developed a system of rationality that is rooted in the inherent observed rationality and order of nature itself. Similar to the modern 'scientific method,' Aristotle advanced a type of epistemology that was rooted concretely in empirical observation. Whether it was Hellenistic ship-building or the study of the animal species (or of human anatomy), Aristotelian techne as it is rooted in actual 'hard data,' results naturally in the greatest technological achievement. Surely, on the Russian side of technological advancement (Sputnik!) the Platonic Idealist Rationality did produce significant technological advances. Whether we as Americans like it or not, it is the lightweight, cheap-to-produce AK-47 (and not the M-16) that dominates world warfare. The Soviets, although virulently anti-Christian, hard-drinking, and at times brutal, nevertheless were quite intelligent people whose Platonic Idealist Thought did, in fact, produce magnificent technological achievement. Having acknowledged the potential of Platonic Idealism, however, Aristotelian techne is simply more systematic in its style of reflection (i.e. sub-dividing the knowledges according to type of endeavor), and since it is more rooted empirically, produces substantial technological achievement that far surpasses Platonic Thought. It should thus come as no surprise that the modern world as we know it did not begin advancing technologically until Aristotle (through Spain and landing in the encyclopedic knowledge of St. Thomas Aquinas) was re-introduced into the Western Thought World. Christopher Columbus, a product of such Catholic Intellectual Formation was able to 'discover' the New World not only due to the audacity of his Christian Faith, but also due to empirical knowledge to include the standard ship mastery skills of the late fifteenth century and even having the common sense to follow a flock of sea-birds to wherever their 'homebase' was, namely land that we now call the Caribbean Islands! Therefore, in conclusion, and stated somewhat humorously, give me that old-time Aristotelian Empiricism over Platonic (or Kantian) Idealism. A Duke University Engineering Major over a Harvard University Literary Studies Major any day . . . Blessings in Jesus, Rob J. King --RobJKing 17:13, 1 October 2007 (UTC)